Let's face it - we are all governed by rules, some written in black and white, some which are carved from social norms. But which rules help us, and which are to our detriment? This article will cover 3 "rules" which you can ignore if you own your own online business:

Rule-You-Can-Ignore #1: Willpower Is Essential For Success

According to the book "The Power Of Full Engagement", willpower is an enemy to success. The reasoning is that we only have limited willpower. If something takes willpower to do, we are not going to do it for very long. This is why many people fail to live up to their New Year's Resolutions - because they take willpower to accomplish. If you want to achieve success, you must do something that will invigorate you each and everyday, so doing it becomes automatic. If you want to lose weight, do exercises which you enjoy and you will look forward to them everyday. If you want to forward your online business, do marketing activities which you take satisfaction from (maybe they make you a whole lot of cash, and there's a KICK in that!).

Rule-You-Can-Ignore #2: Creativity Is What Separates The Successful Businesses From The Failures

Creativity is a dangerous thing. It's a little like caffeine. A bit of it is good, but too much of it is bad. A business wholly built on creativity alone will not succeed. First of all, creative ideas are inherently more risky, because they have not been tried before. You are entering unchartered territory. If you want to succeed in business, follow a proven formula for success, and make some unique twists to stand out, but not too much.

Rule-You-Can-Ignore #3: Work Smarter, Not Harder

The truth is, if you want to succeed, work smarter AND harder! True, an Internet business gives you an automated payment machine on the Internet, but you'll have to put in some initial work so that the machine is working overtime for you eventually. If you work a day job, you are just working hard, not smart. This is because you trading your time for money. Working smarter and harder means building an asset that will sustain itself for the most part eventually - and become technically your 24/7 cash machine.

So, follow these rules at your peril, while the few who are ignoring it gain massive success (and the rewards that come with it!).